Rubs, salt, and brining

[Dr J]

I know that Mr. Meathead suggests to not use salt in our rubs so we can have more control. My question is..If I have a rub I made that does have salt in it, can I apply my rub and have it act as my dry brining?

[Donw]

Yes. After a few cooks and taste tests you might find you can still do a lighter dry brine with particular rubs, and then again not with others.

[bbqLuv]

Great question, when I use a rub that contains salt I either dry brine with the rub or apply it before cooking. There is a need to read the label on the packaged meat. Some contain a salt solution, 6% or so.

[Polarbear777]

I almost always apply the rub when I dry brine. One less step and the rub sticks well to the meat right out of the package.

the only trick if you have salt in the rub is getting the salt level right. I like a very heavy rub so I apply a measured amount of salt first. If I do have a rub with salt I try to dial it back proportionally, which is tricky because many rubs don’t provide the salt amount directly.

[Dr J]

Thank you all for the input. The good thing is that I made this rub myself so I know exactly how much salt is in it and the proportions.

[Rocinante]

I always apply a rub with some amount of salt in it for dry brining. I look at it this way, if you follow the logic of sodium pulling out moisture, then the moisture re-entering the meat through osmosis or diffusion, then any dissolved seasoning that has combined with the sodium will also work its way into the meat. It's a win-win, as far as I can tell. Of course, monitoring sodium levels goes without saying.

[FishTalesNC]

Absolutely! For pork one of my goto’s is dry brining with Obie-Cue’s Gatorbreath (labeled as a Cajun Salt) and then layering on top with something sweeter right before the cook like Honey Hog or Let It Ride. 👍🏻